England v Hungary (1953) refers to a seminal and historic football match that ended England's unbeaten home run against sides from outside the British Isles that had stood since 1901.¹ First international Scotland 0 - 0 England (Partick, Scotland; 30 November 1872) Largest win Ireland 0 - 13 England (Belfast, Ireland; 18 February 1882) Worst defeat Hungary 7 - 1 England (Budapest, Hungary; 23 May 1954) World Cup Appearances 12 (First in 1950) Best result Winners, 1966 European Championship Appearances 7 (First in... 1953 (MCMLIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link is to a full 1953 calendar). ... Football (soccer) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into British and Irish Isles. ...

Background

It was an anxiously anticipated matchup between the Olympic champions, Hungary, who had been unbeaten in three years (but had survived a scare against George Raynor's Sweden a fortnight before this match) and 'the inventors of the game', England. The British press dubbed it "The Game of the Century". In the end, the result was so devastatingly unequivocal that it fundamentally revolutionised the game in England, primarily, because it highlighted the naivity of perpuating a system whereby the centre-back would, obviously, 'accommodate' the opposing centre-forward. The Hungarians had developed a system of play which made such a system redundant and which allowed them to convert any weaknesses in defence by relying on an attacking formation that freed them from the encumbrance of man-for-man marking. But there were other factors arising out of the 'new' Hungarian attitude to the way football could be played that were similarly of influence. George S. Raynor (January 13, 1907 (Wombwell?, Yorkshire) - November 24, 1985) was an English professional footballer and one of the most successful international football managers ever. ...

Hugo Meisl, the famous sport's writer, coined the phrase 'The Whirl' out of homage to the movement of the Hungarian players, especially Nandor Hidegkuti. At one time Hidegkuti would retrieve the ball from his own defence, at others be passing to the inside-forwards in the opposition penalty area. In the 1970s Holland would champion a similar style (then dubbed 'Total Football'). The Hungarians had also seen the virtue of creating fitness regimes as well as a 'club-like' policy at international level to give impetus to innumerable practice sessions; most of their players played for the State-sponsored Army team Honved. Nándor Hidegkuti (March 3, 1922 - February 14, 2002) was a Hungarian footballer. ... Holland is a region in the central-western part of the Netherlands. ... In football (soccer), Total Football is a system where a player who moves out of his position is replaced by another from his team, thus retaining their intended organisational structure. ...

The effect of seeing such a demonstration had a shocking effect on those in attendance, not least two future England manager's Ron Greenwood (later West Ham United's influential manager) and Sir Bobby Robson. The effect of this one game on Alf Ramsey and Greenwood can be drawn from the fact that England's 1966 World Cup winning side contained something of a club nucleus in three West Ham players and, later, when Greenwood finally became England manager himself in 1977he picked 6 Liverpool players in the side to play Switzerland. Ron Greenwood CBE (November 11, 1921 — February 8, 2006) was an English football player and manager, best known for being manager of the English national football team from 1977 until 1982. ... The West Ham United Crest West Ham United F.C are a professional English football club based in East London. ... Sir Robert William Robson Sir Robert William Robson, known as Bobby Robson (born February 18, 1933) is a football manager and former football player. ... Sir Alfred Ernest Ramsey (born January 22, 1920 in Dagenham, Essex; died April 28, 1999) was a footballer and manager of the English national football team from 1963 to 1974. ... For the album by Ash, see 1977 (album). ...

The game took place on November 25, 1953 in English football's hallowed cathedral, old Wembley Stadium, and included many famous names that are now well-known in football lore. For England, there were players such as Billy Wright and Stanley Matthews, while Hungary fielded a talented lineup led by captain Ferenc Puskás, Sándor Kocsis, and Nándor Hidegkuti. The referee was the Dutchman Leo Horn. The differences between the two teams were apparent before kick-off. Billy Wright said "we completely underestimated the advances that Hungary had made, and not only tactically. When we walked out at Wembley that afternoon, side by side with the visiting team, I looked down and noticed that the Hungarians had on these strange, lightweight boots, cut away like slippers under the ankle bone. I turned to big Stan Mortenson and said, 'We should be alright here, Stan, they haven't got the proper kit'." (Quoted from Puskas on Puskas, Hardcover: 240 pages Publisher: Robson Books Ltd (23 Oct 1998) ISBN 1-86105-083-6. How ironic, then, that in the aftermath of the game the English should completely re-organise the cut of their uniform, opting for a Hungarian styled V-neck shirt; discarding the baggy shorts and collared shirt. http://www.englandfootballonline.com/TeamUnif/Unif.html November 25 is the 329th (in leap years the 330th) day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Wembley Stadium is a football stadium located in Wembley, London. ... Statue of Billy Wright outside the stand bearing his name at Molineux Stadium, Wolverhampton Billy Wright, CBE (6 February 1924 – 3 September 1994) was an English footballer for Wolverhampton Wanderers. ... Sir Stanley Matthews, CBE (February 1, 1915 - February 23, 2000) was a football player, often regarded as one of the greats of the English game. ... Ferenc Puskás (Hungarian: Puskás Ferenc, surname first) (born as Purczeld Ferenc April 2, 1927 in Budapest) is a Hungarian former football player and coach. ... Sándor Kocsis (born September 21, 1929 in Budapest; died July 22, 1979) was a Hungarian football striker, who ranks fourth all-time with seventy five international goals (in only sixty eight caps). ... Nándor Hidegkuti (March 3, 1922 - February 14, 2002) was a Hungarian footballer. ...

Hungary won the kick-off and Puskas balanced the ball in the centre-circle. Something alien to English eyes.

First Half

The Hungarians took the lead within 60 seconds as Hidegkuti scored from 15 yards after receiving a pass from Boszik, but England soon equalised through Sheffield Wednesday's Jackie Sewell, who had been set up by a well-timed pass from Stan Mortensen. The Hungarians, however, were not to be outdone and three more goals followed from a team copying the 'British style' of play with great success; commentators even likened the Hungarian pattern of play to that the Wembley Wizards had demonstrated back in 1928. Hidegkuti struck the first of these following an unsuccessful attempt from England to clear the ball. Ferenc Puskás added another to make it 3-1 (a goal Geoffrey Green in The Times was to famously refer to in his match report. Billy Wright (covering on the edge of the goal area raced past Puskas who dragged the ball back before shooting over Merrick) was, according to Green, 'like a fire engine going to the wrong fire'). Puskas said of the goal . "He [Wright] was expecting me to turn inside. If I had done he would have taken me and the ball off the pitch and into the stands. So I dragged the ball back with the studs of my left boot and whacked it high into the net." Later Gyorgy Szepesi, the Hungarian commentator, even suggested installing a plaque at Wembley to commemorate the drag-back. Puskas then diverted a József Bozsik free-kick into the net to make it 4-1 to Hungary. Sheffield Wednesday Football Club are a football club in the English Football League, based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. ... Stanley Harding Stan Mortensen (born May 26, 1921 in South Shields, died May 22, 1991) was an English footballer, most famous for his part in the 1953 FA Cup Final (aka The Matthews Final), where he became the first and - thus far - only player ever to score a hat-trick... Wembley Wizards is the name given to the Scottish national team which defeated England at Wembley Stadium in 1928 by 5 goals to 1 in a comprehensive display of teamwork that has become somewhat mythologised. ... Geoffrey Green (May 12, 1911 - May 9, 1990) was the first and foremost English football writer. ... The Times is a national newspaper published daily in the United Kingdom since 1785, and under its current name since 1788. ... József Bozsik (November 28, 1925 in Kispest (now a district of Budapest) - May 31, 1978 in Budapest) was a Hungarian footballer. ...

Shortly before half-time, Stan Mortensen scored a goal for England, giving them hope as the whistle blew; England 2, Hungary 4.

Second Half

Ten minutes after the restart, Bozsik scored and then Hidegkuti completed his hat-trick to make the score 6-2 to Hungary. Alf Ramsey later managed to score a penalty for England, but the game ended 6-3 to Hungary and a famous victory had been won by one of the greatest football teams that century, and the centre of world football had shifted eastward across the channel. Pat Ward-Thomas in The Guardian wrote that toward the end: 'England was having more of the ball than before and Matthews was making openings in spite of rigorous attention from Lantos. But England's refusal to shoot quickly was pathetic in its pottering hesitancy, arising from that accursed disease of making sure'. In sports, a hat-trick (more often rendered in North America as hat trick, without the hyphen) is associated with achieving something in a group of three. ... Sir Alfred Ernest Ramsey (born January 22, 1920 in Dagenham, Essex; died April 28, 1999) was a footballer and manager of the English national football team from 1963 to 1974. ... The Guardian is a British newspaper owned by the Guardian Media Group. ...

Six months later, on May 23, 1954, the Golden Team of Hungary gave a masterclass in the sport's new offensive nature in Budapest against the same outpaced English side with an 7-1 win that heralded a new world order in football. It still ranks as England's worst defeat. Golden Team permanent exhibition, Budapest The Golden Team (Aranycsapat, lit Hung: Golden Team) is the sobriquet for the world famous Hungary national football team of the 1950s widely believed by historians to be the finest national side ever in international competition. ...

Discussion

England were unprepared for the Hungarian 4-2-4 formation. With Hidegkuti playing in midfield but wearing the no. 9 shirt, Harry Johnston, the England centre half, marked him, but ended up getting pulled out of position when Hidegkuti drifted around the pitch. England were also undone by the use of Kocsis and Puskás as the main strikers. As these two were wearing nos. 8 and 10 respectively, England thought they were inside forwards. This led to uncertainty about who should mark them. To further confuse the English players, the Hungarian forward players were continually swapping positions, confusing their inflexible defence.

Sir Bobby Robson said of the game: "We saw a style of play, a system of play that we had never seen before. None of these players meant anything to us. We didn't know about Puskas. All these fantastic players, they were men from Mars as far as we were concerned. They were coming to England, England had never been beaten at Wembley - this would be a 3-0, 4-0 maybe even 5-0 demolition of a small country who were just coming into European football. They called Puskas the 'Galloping Major' because he was in the army - how could this guy serving for the Hungarian army come to Wembley and rifle us to defeat? But the way they played, their technical brilliance and expertise - our WM formation was kyboshed in 90 minutes of football. The game had a profound effect, not just on myself but on all of us." Robson went onto say: "That one game alone changed our thinking. We thought we would demolish this team - England at Wembley, we are the masters, they are the pupils. It was absolutely the other way."

 http://www.zoltech.net/h/hufoci.html 

But the Hungarians were to be found out later, the next year, in the World Cup held in Switzerland. Under Sepp Herberger, Germany were to beat them 3-2 in the 1954 World Cup Final. David Miller in Cup Magic referring to that defeat argued cogently that the German staff had realised that so dominant had the Hungarians become that they neglected to mark attacking players. By the time of the 1958 World Cup the core of the great Hungarian side had vanished. Brian Glanville in The Story of the World Cup, p. 67 wrote 'It seemed as if ... Hungary had found a way of preparation which was ideal. Yet when the smoke cleared, when Puskas and Kocsis decamped [in 1956], it became perfectly clear that all we had been seeing was an illustration of Walter Winterbottom's dictum that every great team is built round a core of great players. While Kocsis and company were present, every man looked a giant, Sebes was a wizard, Mandi an inspired manager. When they went, the fabulous structure of Hungarian football proved to be nothing of the sort ...' Josef Sepp Herberger (born 28 March 1897 in Mannheim, Germany, died 28 April 1977 in Weinheim, Germany) was a German football player and manager. ... The 1954 Football World Cup Final was the final match of the 1954 World Cup. ... Mayor David Miller David R. Miller (born December 26, 1958) is a Canadian politician. ... In June 1954, the FIFA congress in Bern, Switzerland decided to award the 1958 Football World Cup to Sweden. ... Brian Lester Glanville (born 24th September 1931) is a leading English football writer and novelist. ...

Statistics tell the story of the game: Hungary had 35 shots compared to England's 5. The English fans lived up to their then reputation as good sports and stood and clapped as the Hungarians left the field.

When a reunion was held in the early 1970s, Sir Alf Ramsey greeted one of his team-mates on that day by saying, "Er, hello...it is Bill [Eckersley], isn't it?' This prompted Puskás to remark, "It was like that when they played us - the team hardly seemed to know each other's names!" Of England's 11 players that day, only Merrick, Sewell and Robb are still living. Hungary's team that day also has only 3 survivors: Grosics, Buzánszky and Puskás. The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, inclusive. ...

England v Hungary 1953

Wembley Stadium, London, November 25, 1953 Wembley Stadium is a football stadium located in Wembley, London. ... London (pronounced ) is the capital city of England and of the United Kingdom. ... November 25 is the 329th (in leap years the 330th) day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1953 (MCMLIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link is to a full 1953 calendar). ...

England

3 - 6

Hungary

Attendance: 100 000 spectators
Referee: Horn (Holland)
Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: Multiple unofficial anthems Capital London Largest city London Official language(s) English Government Constitutional monarchy  - Queen Queen Elizabeth II  - Prime Minister Tony Blair MP Unification    - by Athelstan AD927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq mi   - Water (%) Population... Image File history File links Flag_of_England_(bordered). ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Hungary. ... Horn may refer to: horn (anatomy), a hollow, pointed projection of the skin of various animals Horn, Austria horn (diacritic), a diacritic mark used to indicate that a normally rounded vowel such as o or u is to be pronounced unrounded horn (instrument) horn, a slang term for any wind... Holland is a region in the central-western part of the Netherlands. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_Netherlands. ...

Scorers:
England: 3: 13' Jackie Sewell 1-1, 38' Stanley Mortensen 2-4, 57' Alf Ramsey 3-6
Hungary 6: 1'(90 seconds) Nandor Hidegkuti 0-1, 20' Nandor Hidegkuti 1-2, 24' Ferenc Puskas 1-3, 27' Ferenc Puskas 1-4, 50' Josef Boszik 2-5, 53' Nandor Hidegkuti 2-6

England: Gil Merrick (Birmingham City)(c) - Alf Ramsey (Tottenham Hotspur}, Bill Eckersley (Blackburn Rovers) - Billy Wright (Wolverhampton Wanderers) (c), Harry Johnston (Blackpool}, Jimmy Dickinson (Portsmouth) - Stanley Matthews (Blackpool), Eddie Taylor (Blackpool}, Stan Mortensen (Blackpool}, Jackie Sewell (Sheffield Wednesday), George Robb (Tottenham Hotspur} Coach: Walter Winterbottom Gilbert Gil Harold Merrick (26 January 1922 - ) is an English footballer and football manager. ... Birmingham City Football Club are an English football club based in Birmingham, and currently play in the Football League Championship. ... Sir Alfred Ernest Ramsey (born January 22, 1920 in Dagenham, Essex; died April 28, 1999) was a footballer and manager of the English national football team from 1963 to 1974. ... Tottenham Hotspur Football Club are an English football club who play in the FA Premier League. ... Blackburn Rovers Football Club are an English Premier League football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire. ... Billy Wright can refer to: Billy Wright (footballer) [[* Billy Wright (terrorist)]]* Billy Wright (musician) This human name article is a disambiguation page — a list of pages that might otherwise share the same title, which is a persons or persons name. ... Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. is a Wolverhampton-based football club playing at Molineux. ... Blackpool Football Club is an English football club currently in Football League One. ... James William Jimmy Dickinson (24th April 1925 - 9th November 1982) was an English football player. ... Founded in 1898, Portsmouth Football Club are an English association football club based in the south coast city port of Portsmouth. ... Sir Stanley Matthews, CBE (February 1, 1915 - February 23, 2000) was a football player, often regarded as one of the greats of the English game. ... Blackpool Football Club is an English football club currently in Football League One. ... Blackpool Football Club is an English football club currently in Football League One. ... Stanley Harding Stan Mortensen (born May 26, 1921 in South Shields, died May 22, 1991) was an English footballer, most famous for his part in the 1953 FA Cup Final (aka The Matthews Final), where he became the first and - thus far - only player ever to score a hat-trick... Blackpool Football Club is an English football club currently in Football League One. ... Sheffield Wednesday Football Club are a football club in the English Football League, based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. ... Tottenham Hotspur Football Club are an English football club who play in the FA Premier League. ... Sir Walter Winterbottom, CBE (January 31, 1913 in Oldham, England – February 16, 2002) was manager of the England football team from 1946 until 1962. ...

Hungary: Gyula Grosics (Honvéd) (sub (76 mins.) Sandor Geller (MTK Hungária FC) , Jeno Buzansky (Dorog), Mihaly Lantos (MTK Hungária FC), József Bozsik (Honvéd), Gyula Lorant (Honvéd), Joszef Zakarias (MTK Hungária FC), Laszlo Budai (Honvéd), Sandor Kocsis (Honvéd), Nandor Hidegkuti (MTK Hungária FC), Ferenc Puskas (Honvéd), Zoltán Czibor (Honvéd) Coach: Gustav Sebes Gyula Grosics (born 4 February 1926 in Tatabanya, Hungary) was a football goalkeeper with the Magical Magyars of Hungary in the 1950s. ... Budapest Honvéd FC is a Hungarian football team. ... MTK Budapest is a football club from Budapest, Hungary. ... MTK Budapest is a football club from Budapest, Hungary. ... József Bozsik (November 28, 1925 in Kispest (now a district of Budapest) - May 31, 1978 in Budapest) was a Hungarian footballer. ... Budapest Honvéd FC is a Hungarian football team. ... Budapest Honvéd FC is a Hungarian football team. ... MTK Budapest is a football club from Budapest, Hungary. ... Budapest Honvéd FC is a Hungarian football team. ... Sándor Kocsis (born September 21, 1929 in Budapest; died July 22, 1979) was a Hungarian football striker, who ranks fourth all-time with 75 international goals (in only 68 caps). ... Budapest Honvéd FC is a Hungarian football team. ... Nándor Hidegkuti (March 3, 1922 - February 14, 2002) was a Hungarian footballer. ... MTK Budapest is a football club from Budapest, Hungary. ... Ferenc Puskás (Hungarian: Puskás Ferenc, surname first; nicknamed Puskás Öcsi, born 2 April 1927 in Budapest) was a Hungarian football player. ... Budapest Honvéd FC is a Hungarian football team. ... Zoltán Czibor (23 August 1929 - 1 September 1997) was a Hungarian footballer from the Magic Magyars era. ... Budapest Honvéd FC is a Hungarian football team. ... Gustav Sebes (born June 21, 1906 in Hungary - died January 30, 1986) is a famous Hungarian association football coach. ...

Footnote

1. England's first ever home defeat was by 3–1 to Scotland at Kennington Oval in 1877. Their first defeat to a team outside the four Home Nations was by 2–0 to the Republic of Ireland at Goodison Park in 1949.